You'll know 'loving kindness' when you see it

"Loving kindness" is a difficult thing to describe. Putting it into action even more so.

Or, as Rev. Jim Kitchens, of the Cal Aggie Christian House, put it: "It's like Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart wrote about pornography, 'I know it when I see it.' Hopefully, we won't be looking at any of that today."

Kitchens was one of three speakers leading off the 11th Annual Celebration of Abraham in Davis Sunday afternoon, as around 250 people representing a variety of religious faiths tried to come to grips with accepting one another, and simply being kind.

Held at the Fellowship Hall at Saint James Catholic Church, the gathering was designed to look beyond "just good manners or socially expected behavior, and into the individual acts that come from an empathetic heart," Helen Roland, a founding member of Celebration of Abraham and part of the Davis United Methodist Church reiterated.

Examples of "loving kindness" abounded at the gathering. Kitchens, for example, used the tale of the "Good Samaritan" and an illustration of putting into practice "a virtue that forms over the course of a person's life ... so that when the moment of decision comes you make (being kind) a habit."

"Clearly," Kitchens said, "the Christian concept of loving kindness is based on Jewish traditions."

That idea was put forth by Rabbi Greg Wolfe of Congregation Bet Haverim in Davis, who spoke of the "currency of life," as being respectful and considerate of one another and invited people to "become co-conspirators" at spreading loving kindness.

"The engine that fuels this ...," he said, "this currency are the acts of loving kindness" that people show one another.

Wolfe said one of the more profound acts of loving kindness shown by man is burying the dead. "It's the ultimate act, because we expect nothing in return from them -- we hope," he said to laughter.

Indeed, Wolfe noted, when people are called before God to explain themselves in the afterlife, he won't be interested in their devotion, or what church they attended. Rather, Wolfe feels that God will care about whether a person fed the hungry, provided clothes to the naked or those in need, and offering help to the most vulnerable.

"This is our task," Wolfe added.

Wolfe and Kitchens were endorsed by Samina Sundas, of the Multifaith Voices for Peace, a Muslim group.

"We should want to look after one another," she said, adding "...except fort he NSA; we don't want them looking after us."

Sundas shared a story about a man who walked past a woman's house daily and daily she threw trash at him. "Then for three days, the woman did not throw trash at him; so on that third day he knocked on her door to see if she was OK."

Following the introductions, panel discussions were held among attendees and table participants. Questions based on the theme are posed to each table group, with people sharing their experiences and beliefs as they wish.

The celebration also featured a ritual of washing each other's hands at each individual table and breaking a loaf of bread together as symbols of respect and connection.

The Celebration of Abraham began locally after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, when people of various faiths sought ways to put aside any religious differences under the teachings of Abraham, who is featured in Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths.

"All three major religions (Christianity, Islam and Judaism) trace their roots back to Prophet Abraham," stated Khalid Saeed earlier. He is director of Woodland Mosque & Islamic Center, whose congregation is a strong supporter of the event. "It provides common ground on which to build a foundation, or what Rumi calls a mould, where we see commonalties to get along rather than the differences.

"By interacting personally with members of these great religions and discussing each other's pertinent concerns, participants discover ways of reducing and dispelling fears and moving forward from fear to friendship," Saeed added.

Sponsoring the event were the American Muslim Voice, The Christian Church, (Disciples of Christ) of Woodland, Muslim Mosque of Woodland, Woodland Presbyterian Church, Woodland United Methodist Church, Congregation Bet Haverim/Jewish Fellowship, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Council on Islamic Relations, Davis Community Church, Davis Friends, Davis Lutheran Church, Davis United Methodist Church, Lutheran Church of Incarnation, Saint James Catholic Church, St. John's United Church of Christ, St. Martin's Episcopal Church of Davis, St. Mary's Orthodox Coptic Church, Salam Center of Sacramento, St. Luke's Episcopal Church, and the Unitarian Universalist Church.